Automatic pinsetter foul control mechanism



July 26, 1960 w. F. HucK ETAL AUTOMATIC PINSETTER FOUL CONTROL. MECHANISM Original Filed Nov. 25, 1955 13 SheetsvSheet 1 July 26, 1960 w. F. HUcK ETAL 2,946,591

AUTOMATIC PIvNSETTER FOUL CONTROL MECHANISM Original Filed Nov. 25, 1955 13 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inl/en or's willidmfjue/r Hieronder' .I Hlbrech Dmfz'd R .Sarvfa 11d July 26, 1960 w, F, HUCK ETAL 2,946,591

AUTOMATIC PINSETTER FOUL CONTROL MECHANISM Ignal Filed NOV. 25, 1955 13 Sheets-Sheet 3 July 26, 1960 w. F. HucK ETAI- 2,946,591

AUTOMATIC PINSETTER FOUL CONTROL MECHANISM Original Filed Nov. 25, 1955 3.3v Sheets-Sheet 4 K mwN July 26, 1960 w. F.HUCK ETAL 2,946,591

AUTOMATIC PINSETTER FOUL CONTROL MECHANISM Original Filed Nov. 25, 1955 l5 Sheets-Sheet 5 #3U YM/Wwf?? Mw July 26, 1960 w. F. HucK ETAL AUTOMATIC PINSETTER FOUL CONTROL MECHANISM 13 Sheets-Sheet 6 Original Filed Nov. 25, 1955 XM, K/yfw, nu?

July 26,?1960 W. F. HUcK ETAL 2,945,591

AUTOMATIC PINSEITTER FOUL CONTROL MECHANTSM Original Filed Nov. 25, 1955 13 Sheets-Sheet 7 F0 A l i ,l C) A bnr July 26, 1960 w. F. HucK ETAL AUTOMATIC PINSETTER FOUL CONTROL MECHANISM Original Filed Nov. 25, 1955 13 sheets-sheet July 26, 1960 w. F. HucK El'AL AUTOMATIC PINSETTER Four. coNTRor. MECHANISM 13 Sheets-Sheet 9 Original Filed Nov. 25, 1955 www/a M1.. L, 1%# uw e a July 26, 1960 w. F. HUCK ETAL 2,946,591

AUTOMATIC PINSETTER FOUL CONTROL MECHANISM Original Filed Nov. 25, 1955 13 Sheets-Sheet 10 July 26, 1960 w. F. HUcK Erm.

AUTOMATIC PINSETTER FOUL CONTROL MECHANISM Original Filed Nov. 25, 1955 13 Sheets-Sheet l1 July 26, 1960 w F HucK ETAL 2,946,591

AUTOMATIC PINSETTER FOUL CONTROL MECHANISM Original FiLed Nov. 25, 1955 13 Sheets-Sheet 12 July 26, 1960 w. F. HUCKk mL 2,946,591

AUTOMATIC PINSETTER FOUL CONTROL MECHANISM United States Patent O AUTOMATIC PINSETTER FOUL CONTROL MECHANISM William F. Huck, Forest Hills, N.Y., and Alexander J. Albrecht, Teaneck, and David P. Sanford, Union, NJ., assignors, by mesue assignments, vto The Brunswick Automatic Pinsetter Corporation, Paramus, NJ., a corporation of Delaware Original application Nov. 2'5, 1955, Ser. No. 549,075. Divided and this application Apr. 12, 1957, Ser. No. 652,421

Claims. (Cl. 273-43) This invention relates to an automatic pinsetter for bowling alleys and more particularly to foul control mechanism for an automatic pinsetter.

An object of this invention is to provide new and improved foul control mechanism for a mechanically controlled automatic pinsetter.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic pinsetting machine having a mechanical control comprising a new set lever for causing the machine to place a set of pins on an alley, a plural ball frame lever for causing the machine to set up for the rolling of a subsequent ball in a frame, and means responsive to a foul incurred in the rolling of a rst ball in the frame to shift both of said levers and `place a set of pins on the alley with the machine set up awaiting the rolling of a second ball in a frame.

A further object of the invention is to provide an automatic pinsetter having a pin deck with pin-pickup means thereon, a control member operatively connected to the pin-pickup means and normallymovable to permit movement of the pickup means, a cam shaped to permit movement of said control member when the pin deck is in pin-pickup position, and means responsive to the occurrence of a lirst ball foul for blocking said membei' against movement to prevent movement of the pinpickup means.

Still another object of the invention is to provide preventing operation of the rake if a standing pin is beyond the range of operation ofthe pin-pickup means, and means responsive to the occurrence of a iirst ball foul for rendering said rake operative to sweep the alley even if a pin is beyond the range of operation of the pin-pickup means.

The objects of the invention rgenerally set forth together with other ancillary advantages are attained by the construction and arrangement shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawing, in which: Y

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of the automatic pinsetter and a portion of the alley bed with which it cooperates, with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the automatic pinsetting machine, with parts broken away;

Fig, 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view showing the control section ofthe automatic pinsetter;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken generally along the line I4 4 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken generally along the line 5-5 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken, along the line 6-6 in Fig. 3 with the mounting plate at the right end of the gear box shown in phantom for clarity;

Fig. 6A is an enlarged detail view of a portion of the mechanism shown in Fig. 6; g

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary vertical elevation of the lower FPice 2 part of the control mechanism taken along the line -7-7 of Fig. 3 with the gearbox shown in phantomV for clarity; Fig. 7A is an enlarged fragmentary vertical section of the upper part of the machine taken along the line 7a-7a ofFig. 3 with the mounting plates shown in 'phantom for clarity;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section taken along the line 8 8 in Fig. 6; g

Fig. 9 is a schematic view illustrating'the electrical circuit associated with the automatic pinsetting machine;

Fig. 10 is an enlarged diagrammatic `view of control mechanisms shown in Figs. 6 and 7A as'they arepositioned when the pin deck has descended and f ound standing pins; v n

Fig. l1 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of control mechanisms shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7A as they are positioned when the pin deck has descended in a detecting stroke and found no standing pins;

Fig. 12 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of the control mechanism shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7A as positioned when the pin deck has descended to reset standing pins; 1 Fig. 13 is an enlarged diagrammatic view of the control mechanism shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7A as positioned when the machine is stopped awaiting the rolling` of a second ball in a two-ball frame;

Fig. 14 is an enlarged diagrammatic'view of thevcontrol mechanisms shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 7A when the pin deck is down to the alley bed placing a set of pins thereon; v

Fig. l5 is a diagrammatic view of a modilication of the control mechanism utilized in connection with a pin that is moved out of pin-pickup range with the parts positioned corresponding to their position when the pin deck is on top of an out-of-range pin;

Fig. 16 is a diagrammatic view of part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 15 with the parts positioned corresponding to the position of the deck when it is either setting or resetting pins;

Fig. 17 is a diagrammatic view of pant of the mechanism shown in Fig. l5 positioned corresponding to the position of the deck when it is picking up standing pins;

Fig. 18 is a diagrammatic detail view of the mechanism in Figs. 5, 6 and 7A and showing on an enlarged 'scale the mechanisms for operating the machine through a foul operation; Y

Fig. 19 is a further enlarged detail taken along the line 19-19 in Fig. 18; and

Fig. 20 is a timing diagram showing the development of the various cam surfaces and cycling of certain mov ing parts with respect to these surfaces. y

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many dierent forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail an illustrativel embodiment of the invention with theV understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exempliflcation of the principles of the invention and isnot intended to limit the invention to the embodiment illustrated. The scope of the invention will b e pointed out in the appended claims.

This application isa division of our application, Serial No. 549,075, filed Nov. 25, 1955, entitled Automatic Pinsetters. g'

As shown generally in Figs. l and 2, the automatic pinsetting machine is -associated with a bowling alley having an alley bed 1, a pit area Zat the rear. of the valley bed, and side walls or kickbacks 3 at opposite sides of the alley bed. Y

The automatic pinsietting machine comprises several components. A pit conveyor, indicated generallyat A, is located in t-he pit 2 and directs bowling-pins and a bowling ball toward the rear of the pit wherein ball elevating mechanism, indicated generally at B, elevates the ball from the rear of the pit to a track, indicated generally at C, which delivers the ball to the return track, indicated generally at D, located on top of one kickback 3 and the adjacent kickbackof another alley.

Bowling pins are elevated from the rear of the pit by a pin elevating mechanism, indicated generally at E, which discharges the pins in succession intol a tray, indicated generally at F, from where the pins pass butt end first to a cross conveyor, indicated generally at G, which carries the pins forwardly and upwardly to a discharge point where they move in succession into pockets in a turret, indicated generally at H.

A pinsetting and resetting deck, indicated generally at I, is located beneath the turret H. A rake, indicated generally at J, is mounted at the front of the machine and is cycled to function as a guard when in the dotted position and to sweep pins into the pin at the desired time during the cycling of the machine.

An upwardly movable pit cushion, indicating gene-ra1- ly at K, is disposed above the pit conveyor to receive the impact of a rolled ball and ying pins and functions to prevent the passage of a ball to the rear thereof when in its lower position and also to initiate operation of the machine upon movement thereof caused by the limp-act of a ball. A control center, indicated generally at L, comprises mechanical components which control the operation of the machine and is located generally above the pin deck I.

Reference may be had to the copending application of William F. Huck and Alexander I. Albrecht, Serial No. 534,726, led September 16, 1955, for a more detailed description and disclosure of the pit conveyor A, the ball elevating mechanism B, the pin elevating mechanism E, the pin tray F, and the cross conveyor G. The following general description of these components is believed suflicient since these components do not form a part of the present invention.

The pit conveyor A comprises a frame mounted for vibrating movement on brackets 11 and has a laterally concave upper surface having its rear central portion terminating adjacent the pickup area of the ball elevating mechanism B and the pin elevating mechanism E. A motor 12, through a belt 13, drives an eccentric shaft y14 which through a flexible crank member 15 connected to a bracket 16 on the frame 10 vibrates the pit conveyor.

The ball elevating mechanism B comprises a ringshaped member 20 mounted for rotation on guide rollers, one of which is indicated at 21. A pair of curved, generally vertically disposed tracks 22 are located within and cooperate with the ring-shaped member 20 to form a three-point contact with the ball and elevate the ball to the track mechanism C which is in the form of a pair of rods 23 and 24 which are supported by a framework 25 supported from a bar 26 extending across the kickbacks 3. The ball elevating ring 20 is driven by a belt 27 which is driven from a pulley 28 on a driven shaft 29.

The pin elevating mechanism E comprises a ring member 35 which has pin receiving pockets spaced apart around its inner periphery for elevating pins in succession to the tray F. The ring member 35- is supported for rotation on guide rollers 36 and the ring member 35 1s driven by a belt 37 extended 4around its outer periphery 1n a groove in the ring and is driven by a pulley on shaft 38. The shafts 29 and 38 are driven by a motor 40 which is connected to shafts 29 `and '3S by pulleys and belts 41 and 42.

The tray F is mounted within the body of the ringshaped pin elevating member 35 and extends generally beneath the uppermost position of the elevating member so as to receive a pin as it is discharged from a pocket on the member whether the pin is oriented with the head end leading or trailing and direct the pin to the cross conveyor G with the butt end foremost.

The cross conveyor G comprises an elongated frame 43 lwhich extends in an upward and forward direction from the forward end of the tray F to a position above and to the rear of the turret H. The lateral central portion of the tray is depressed to form a channel 44 along which the head end of the pin may slide and belts `45 at opposite sides of the frame convey the pin along the cross conveyor to the discharge position thereof, indicated generally at 46.

The turret H comprises a frame 50 having nine pin receiving pockets 51 about its periphery and a tenth central pocket 52 for receiving a tenth pin. The pocket 52 has an entrance throat extending upwardly and outwardly to a position adjacent the discharge end 46 of the cross conveyor. The turret is driven from the motor 40 by a belt 53 which drives a friction clutch (not shown) to :index the turret. The indexing of the turret is controlled by pins entering pockets 51 on the turret which engage a trip member 54 pivoted adjacent the end of the cross conveyor which releases a detent from en4 gagement with a dog on the turret frame to permit indexing of the turret by the friction clutch, there being one dog associated with each pocket. Pins are held in the pockets 51 by rollers 54 carried on a spider 56 which may be shifted with respect to the pockets 51 when it is desired to drop pins from the turret. The tenth pin is held in a tenth pocket 52 by a detent (not shown) which is operated by mechanism (not shown) to permit dropping of the tenth pin along with the other pins.

The pins are dropped from the turret H into the pin deck l which has a central deck 60 having fixed setting shoes, one of which is indicated at 61. An upper setting deck 62 carries the buckets 63 into which the pins drop from the turret H and also has setting shoes, one of which is indicated at 64, which cooperate with the fixed setting shoes 61 to confine a pin, as indicated in Fig. l.

Prior to setting of pins lin the deck, they rest upon rollers 65 carried on a lower frame 66 attached to the central deck 60. The lower frame has openings 67 deiining pin-pickup areas and through which pins are set. In this position, the upper setting deck 62 has pressure plates (not shown) on the under side thereof to engage the tops of standing pins during the pickup and reset operation.

When it is desired to set pins, the upper setting deck 62 is shifted toward the rear of the machine so that the bowling pins are carried away from the ixed shoes 61 and to one side of the supporting rollers 65 so that the pins may be set`through the openings 67 in the lower plate 66 by coaction between the shoes 64 and the rollers 65. This also results in shifting the pressure plates toward the rear of the machine. The means for moving the setting deck 62 includes cable operated pulley 70 mounted for rotation on the deck which has a pair of pins 71 and 72 which engage slots 73 and 74 formed in a member 75 attached to the setting deck to shift the deck toward the rear, as viewed in Fig. 1. The pulley 70 is operated by a cable 76 which passes around pulleys 77 and 78 (Fig. 4) on the deck and which is connected to a pulley 79 xed on shaft 79a which is moved by operating mechanism described hereinafter. A spring 80 (Fig. 3) is connected to the pulley 7 0 and tends to rotate the pulley in a direction to shift the setting deck 62 toward the rear and maintain tension on the cable 76.

The lower plate 66 in addition to carrying the rollers 65 supports ten scissors-type, pin-pickup mechanisms S5, one of these being clearly shown in Fig. 2, each pickup mechanism being associated with an opening 67 in the lower plate 66 through which pins are set and through which a neck of a pin-extends during pickup operation. The scissors pickup mechanisms are urged toward pin engaging positions by a spring 86 -acting through connecting lever mechanisms and the control of the scissors pickup mechanisms is carried out by a cable 87 passing around pulleys (not shown) disposed on the same shafts inwardlyvof the pulleys 77 and 78 on the pin deck. Ihe cable 87'is secured to a pulley 88 on a sleeve 89 disposed inwardly of pulley 79 and rotatably mounted on shaft 79a and is operated by mechanism described hereinafter.

' vReference may be had to the copending application of'David Pfsan'ford, Serial No. 489,107, filed February 18, 1955, now Patent No. 2,817,528, for a more detailed description of the lower plate 66 and the scissors pinpickup mechanism.

:The ball elevating mechanism and the pin elevating mechanism E have their guide rollers supported on a lframework comprising an annularl ring 90 which is secured to the top of the adjacent kickbacks at their rear by brackets 91 and 92 and on the floor of the pit by bracket 93.

The forward frame comprises upwardly extending rods 94 and 95 at each side of the alley which are secured to the adjacent parts of the kickbacks by brackets 96 and 97, respectively. A rod 98 at each side of the alley .extends between the rods 94 and 95 and somewhat to the rear of rod 95 so as to form a support for a plate 98a having a tube 99 extending transversely of the alley. A pair of diagonal braces 98b and 98C are provided. A frame rod 100 is connected between the plates 98a, and the upper ends of the frame members 94 support a transverse rod 102 and stubs 101 and 103 upon which parts are rotatably mounted.

The deck I is supported from the vertical frame members 95 by the upper drive arms 105 located at each side .of the alley and connected at one of their ends to a tubular sleeve 106 rotatably mounted on stubs secured to the vertical frame members 95 and at their other ends having pins 107 pivotally connected to posts 108 extend- .ing'upwardlyfrom opposite sides of the deck. Lower guide rods 109 are pivotally connected between the stubs 110 on the vertical frame members 95 and pins 111 on the vertical posts 108 to form with the arms 105 parallelogram' supports for the deck.

An extensible housing 118 (Figs. 1 and 4) extends rearwardly from each of the arms and connects at its rear to a pivot pin 119 supported by an arm 120 fixed to the sleeve 106. A spring 121 within the extensible housing functions as'a counterbalance for both the deck 4I and the rake J and urges the rake arms 115 against stops 122 carried on the frame members 94.

. The raising and lowering movement of the rake board I117 lis caused by corresponding movement of a link 125 (Fig. l) at each side of the machine which extends upwardly and engages with a bell crank 126 at each side of the machine which are interconnected by a sleeve 126a rotatably mounted on the stubs 101, and pivoting of .the bell cranks is caused by movement of an arm 127 secured to the sleeve 126a.

The arm 127 is connected to a link 128 which is shifted by a cam and follower mechanism described here- ,inafter to control the raising and lowering of the rake board 117.

Av connecting link 130 connects between an arm 13.1 ofthe bell crank 126 and a triangular plate 132.

The pit cushion K includes a pad 135 connected between vertically extending bars 136 located at opposite sides ofthe alley and which pivotally connect to the plates 132.I `Anapron 137 isdrapeddownwardly from a cross" piece Y138 extending'between`themembers'26 and the lower end of the apron is secured to the top of the pit cushion. 138a connected thereto which extends forwardly and upwardly and connects to a bracket connected to the framefmembers 95. Looking at Fig. 2, the lower bar 136 has a rod ,139 connected tothe upper lpart thereof which has its upper end bent toward the center line of the machine which connects with a link 1-40'in a vclutch operating mechanism so that engagement ofa ball with the pit cushion Vcauses pivoting of the pit cushion and its supporting framework about `the plate 132 and shifting of the link 140 so as to cause engagement of a driving clutch as more fully described hereinafter. The connecting link 130 between the bell crank 126 and the plate 132 operates to cause raising of the pit cushion when the rake board 117 is lowered to thealley bed and to' cause lowering of the pit cushion when the rake board is elevated. The plate 132 is pivotally mounted on a V-shaped frame member 141 extending upwardly atan angle from the frame shaft 99. The members 125, 126, 130,132 and 136-are provided at both sides of the machine, as will be evident in Fig. 2.`

The rake J is moved from its guard position in front of the machine and on the alley bed toward` the pit and .back to its guard position in =a sweeping operation by a crank link 1F42 which is pivotally connected at one end to an oscillating grab member 143 whichA is pivotally mounted on a pin '143er (Fig. 4) carried in a bracket ou the -sleeve 115a. The grabmember 143 carries a catch member 1-44 which, as shown in the dotted line position of Fig. 4, may be engaged by a latch 145 to cause the rake to move with the crank link 142. The latch 145 is pivotally mounted on 4a pair'of arms |146 which are connected to the rake support sleeve 115a on the left side of the machine, looking toward the rear thereof. The engagement or non-engagement of the latch l145 with the catch member 144 is determined by a spring 148 which ynormally urges the latch into engaging position with the catch memberl and a link 149 which determines the effectiveness of the spr-King 148.: The link ,149 is pivoted to an arm 150 (Fig. 4) of a bell crank, and the other arm 151 thereof carries a roller 152 in position toengage with a crescent-shaped lever 153 which is connected to a sleeve 154 rotatably mounted on the frame shaft 102. The rotative position of this sleeve and' the crescent-shaped lever 153 is determined by a link 155 which is operated by cam and follower mechanism described hereinafter.

The crank link 142 is pivotally V,connected to a crank 156 by a pin .157 `and is driven by a shaft 158.

A'clutch, indicated generally at 159, is driven by a belt 160 which passes around the pulley 161 on the shaft of motor 40 (Fig. 2) and drives a gear box 162 and operating and control mechanism, indicated generally at 163, attached to the gear box including thecontrol cen-- ter L.

Thel gear box casing 164 (Fig. Y6) rotatably supports annput shaft 165 mounted in'bearings, one of which is shown at 166, and the input shaft has a worm 168 meshing with a gear 169 keyed to a shaft 158. A gear 171 also keyed to the shaft 158 drivingly engages with a gear 172 keyed to the shaft 173. A gear 174 keyed to the shaft l1173 drivinglyengages a gear 175 keyed to a shaft 176.

A gear 177 keyed to the shaft 176 drivingly engages a gear 178 rotatably mounted on shaft179 and the gear 178 drivingly engages a gear 180 keyed to the shaft 181.

The relationship -between the gearing is such that in one normal machine cycle including two descents and ascents of the deck I, the shafts 176 and 181 make one revolution, the shaft 173 makes two revolutions and the Yshaft 158 makes four revolutions.

The gear box housing 164 is supported on frame rods 99 and 10.0 by brackets 182 and 183 (Fig. 7), respectively. n

.The clutch.159.*comprsesadisc,190 and. spoel, :1.2.2

Each of the bars- 136 has a dashpoty which are splined to the input shaft 165, the disc 190 being adjustably backed up by nuts 193 and a threaded end of the input shaft. A pulley -194 is rotatably mounted on the input shaft 165 and positioned between the disc 190 and spool 192 and has rings of material 195 with a high friction coefficient positioned to engage with the disc and Spool when the clutch is engaged.

A spring 196 abuts against a shoulder (not shown) on shaft 165 and an inner surface of the spool '192 so as to urge the spool toward the left, as viewed in Fig. 6, and force the spool, the pulley, and the disc together in frictional running engagement. When the clutch is disengaged by shifting of the spool toward the right or forwardly of the machine, the spool and therefore the input shaft is rapidly brought to a halt by frictional engagement between the friction material 198 carried on the spool and the portion 197 of the gear box housing.

The spool 192 has a groove 199 in which a pair of shoes, one of them being indicated at 200, is slidably mounted, and the shoes are pivotally mounted on pins 201 carried on a yoke 202. The yoke 202 at its lower end slidably receives a pin 203 fastened in an arm 204 of a bell crank pivoted at 205 (Fig. 7) and the other arm 206 of the bell crank forms a cam follower having a follower roller 207 (Fig. 7) which engages or follows a cam 208 keyed to the shaft 158, and is urged into following position by a spring 208a connected between the arm 206 and a pin 208b` on the gear box housing.

The pin 203 carries a pair of discs 209 and 210 at opposite sides of the yoke and a spring 211 surrounds the pin and acts between the disc 209 and a shoulder 212 on the lower end of the yoke so as to cause a projection 213 on the yoke to engage against the disc 210. The opening in the yoke which receives the pin is over sized so as to allow pivoting of the pin with respect to the yoke. The upper end of the yoke has a pivot pin 215 which connects the yoke to an arm 216 of a bell crank pivoted at 217 to the gear box housing 164 and the other arm 218 of the bell crank carries a roll 219 positioned for selective engagement with a stop arm 220 forming one arm of a multi-arm lever pivoted at 221 on the gear box housing.

The multi-arm lever has, in addition to the arm 220, an arm 222 (Figs. 6 and 11) which connects to a rod 223 of a dashpot 224. Another arm 225 has a pin 226 to which a spring 227 is attached and the other end of the spring is slidably connected to a pin 228 on an arm 229 which is pivotally mounted on a shaft 230 attached to the gear box housing. Another arm 231 of the multi-arm lever has a pin 232 engageable in an open slot 233 of a trigger link 234. The pin 232 is also slidably received in a slot 235 in a connecting link 236.

The trigger link 234 has a pin 237 at its lower end which is slidably received in a slot 238 in a connecting link 239. A slot 240 at the upper end of the trigger link slidably receives a pin 241 carried on an arm 242 integral with the arm 229 Vand a trigger 243 is pivotally mounted to trigger link by a pin 244. The trigger 243 is urged against a stop pin 245 on the trigger link by a spring 246 connected to the housing by a pin 247 and at its other end fastened to an arm 248 of a bell crank pivotally mounted on a pin 249 and the other arm 250 of the bell crank is connected to the trigger by a link 251.

An arm 252 integral with the bell crank arms 248 and 250 has a pin 253 slidably mounted in a slot 254 in the link 140 which connects to the rod 139 extending upwardly from the pit cushion K.

A lateral extension 255 of the trigger link 234 carries a pin 256 to which one end of a spring 257 is connected, and the other end of the spring is connected to a pin 258 supported by an upward projection 259 of the gear box housing :164.

As stated previously, the arms 229 and 242 are integral and form in part what may be termed the reset mechanism or the clutch control mechanism. The reset mechanism also includes an arm 260 integral with the arms 229. and 242 which carries at its lower end a follower roller 261 which engages with a cam 262 keyed to the shaft 176 and which is urged into engagement by a spring 263 connected between the arm 260 and a catch opening 264 onA the gear box housing. A lateral extension 265 of the arm 260 carries a roll 266 which is selectively engageable by a latch 267 pivotally mounted on a pin 268 carried on an arm 269 rotatably mounted on the' shaft 230. The arm 269 carries a cam roller 270 which is engageable with a cam 271 keyed to the shaft 176 and the arm 269 is urged into following relationship by a spring 272 connected between the arm 269 and the catch opening 264. The position of the latch 267 is determined by an arm 275 forming part of the mechanical control center of the machine and which is connected to the latch by a link 276.

The connecting link 236 has a slot 280 `at its lower end in which a pin 281 mounted on an arm 282 is slidably mounted. A spring 236a within the connecting link extends between the pin 281 and a pin 283 on the connecting link so as to form a yieldable connection. The arm 282 is pivotally mounted on a shaft 284 supported in frame member 284a to which an inboard arm 285 is connected and which connects with a rod 286 having a cam follower roller (not shown) which engages a cam surface on the turret H, not shown, and which functions to shift rod 286 toward the rear of the machine when the turret has `indexed to receive the first pin of a new set. This constitutes a signal that the turret has dropped ten pins from the turret H into the pin deck I. This signal is stored in the mechanism by means of a latch 288 which is positioned to engage a pin 289 forming the connection between the arm 285 and the rod 286 and this signal is stored until such time as a set of pins are placed on the alley which means that the deck supporting sleeve 106 has rotated in a clockwise position a suicient distance to carry a projection 29) into engagement with the latch which raises the latch and releases the pin 289.

The connectnig link 239 has a spring 291 disposed therein which engages between the pin 237 on the trigger link 234 and a pin 292 on the link 239 which forms a yieldable connection. The forward end of link 239 is connected to an arm 24011 of the mechanical control center by a pin 241a.

In operation, the cam 208 on the shaft 158 rotates through four revolutions in each normal machine cycle so that the cam follower arm 206 is operated four times in each cycle to shift the lower end of the yoke 202 toward the front of the machine and cause disengagement of the clutch if the stop arm 220 is positioned under the roller 219. When the stop arm 220 is positioned under the roller 219, the pivot pin 215 becomes fixed so that the shifting of the lower end of the yoke causes shifting of the spool 192 toward the front of the machine to disengage the clutch. In this action, the spring 211 is stronger than the spring 196 so that the latter spring yields to permit shifting of the spool. The cam 208 because of its four revolutions in a cycle sets up to disengage the clutch at degrees, 180 degrees, 270 degrees and 360 degrees of the machine cycle. The actual determination as to whether the machine will stop is made by the stop arm 220 which may be positioned under the roller 219 to stop the machine at either 90 degrees, 180 degrees or 360 degrees of the machine cycle.

In starting the machine, a ball hitting the pit cushion K operates through the cushion supporting bar 136, the rod 139, and the link to shift the bell crank having arms 248 and 250 to withdraw the trigger 243 from under the` pin 241 on the arm 242 which permits the trigger link 234 to jump upwardly under the urging of springs 227 and 257 (Fig. l1), this upward movement being limited by engagement of pin 241 with the bottom of the slot 240 in the trigger link. The upward movement of the trigger link permits following movement of the arm 231 of the'multi-arm lever and its pin 232 under thelur'ging of the spring 227 which causes the stop arm 220 to move away from vthe roller 219 so that the clutch may engage under the urging of spring 196.

When the machine commences operation, the cams 262 and 271 on shaft 176 commence rotating in a clockwise direction, looking at Figs. 6 and 11, and, with the latch 267 in engagement with the roll 266, the follower roller 270 on the arm 269 follows cam 271 until the follower reaches a dwell 271a on the cam which causes raising movement of the reset arm 242 a distance which is not suicient to permit the trigger 243 to move under the pin 241 on the reset arm but which is suicient to permit the reset arm 229 to swing to the left a suflicient distance to release the pull on spring 227 which extends between this arm and the arm 225. This dwell is suiiicient to extend on either side of the mid-point of the machine cycle, namely, 180 degrees, so that at this time a signal may be sent to the clutch to indicate whether the machine must stop to await ten pins being set in the pin deck l for setting thereof or whether the machine may continue to operate through the remainder of the cycle when pins are to be set on the alley and the pins for this purpose are in the pin deck I. Movement of the connecting link 239 forwardly by a corresponding movement of the arm 240 occurs at approximately 90 degrees of machine cycle when new pins are to be subsequently placed on the alley which causes pivoting of the trigger link forwardly about the pin 241 on the reset arm 242 a sufficient distance so as to release the pin 23-2 on the arm 231 of the multi-arm lever from the open slot 2313 on the trigger link and with the multi-arm lever being over-balanced in a clockwise direction, it will be entirely under the control of the connecting link 236 which has the slot 235 at its upper end slidably engageable with the pin 232. If the connecting link 236 is in its lower position, this will cause the stop arm 220 to be positioned under the roller 219 so as to set up the machine for stopping when the cam l208 shifts the cam follower 206 (Fig. 7) outwardly. |If the turret has deposited ten pins in the setting deck, the rod 286 will have been shifted rearwardly to cause raising movement of the connecting link 236 which will pivot the multi-arm lever counterclockwise and lower the stop arm 220 out of position to engage the roller 219. If the signal from the turrent comes at times other than 180 degrees of machine cycle, this signal will be stored by the latch 288 and the spring 23651 forming part of the connecting Alink will be compressed until such time as the pin 232 is freed for movement independently of the trigger link 234 by forward movement of the connecting link 239.

The projection '290 on the deck supporting sleeve 106 operates to release the stored signal whenever the deckv has descended to set the pins that have been carried therein since the movement of the deck to setting position carries the projection 290 under the end of latch 288 to raise it from engagement with the pin 289 connected between the rod 286 and the arm 285 so that the mechanisms are set up to receive a new signal that the deck has received pins from the turret subsequent to the time the deck has been emptied.

Continued rotation of the gam 271 carries the follower 270 onto the extremelow on the cam which is s'uiiicient to raise the reset arm 242 a distance suicent to permit the trigger 243 :to snap under the pin 241under the urging of the spring 246 and immediately thereafter the follower 270 rides on to the high pant of the cam to lower the reset arm 242 and, because of the engagement between the trigger 243 and pin 241, cause lowering of .the trigger link 234 which rotates the multiarm lever in a clockwise direction Ito position the stop ann 220 under the roller 219 to set up the machine for stopping at 360 degrees of machine cycle.

The foregoing has described the operation with the latch 267 in engagement withrthe roll ,266Lonmthe arm 10 260 of the reset mechanism. At 270 degrees of m# chine cycle, the arm 275 may be pivoted in a clockwise direction tto release the latch 267 by upward movement of connecting link 276 which will shift the control of the reset arm 242 from the arm 269 to the arm 260 and the follower roller 261 so that from 270 degrees of machine cycle, the cam 262 controls. The cam 262 varies from cam I271 in that the high thereof is positioned degrees of machine cycle subsequent to that of-cam`27r1 so that the stop arm 220 is positioned under the roller 219 after 90 degrees beyond the end of normal machine cycle and into the next machine cycle or a total of 450 degrees from the beginning of the normal machine cycle. This over-cycling occurs ywhen the machine is to next operate after the rolling of a second ball in a frame wherein the rake I will sweep pins into the pit and the deck I will then set pins on the alley bed.

As described previously, the deck I is supported by vertical posts 108 pivotally connected to drive arms 105 connected to the tubular sleeve 106. The sleeve 106 has the upwardly extending plates 112 with apin v113 Vextending between them. The pin 113 is in sliding en gagement with the slotted 114 which-is connected at its upper end to a crank pin 302 mounted on a crank disc 303 which is rotatably mounted on shaf-t 173.

A hook member 304 has an annular end which is rotatably mounted on the periphery of the crank disc 303. It will be noted that the throw imparted to the slotted link is substantially greater than the throw imparted to the hook member 304.

The pin deck I has an upper position immediately under the turret H and the lowest position of the pin deck is that attained when the deck is placing a set of pins on the alley bed. The movement of the deck to the latter position is caused by the weight of the deck acting #against the counter-balancing springs 121 and is permitted by the movement of the slotted link. When the deck is to set pins, the hook member 304 is held out of engagement with the pin 113 by mechanism hereinafter described.

The return of the deck to its upper position is caused by the slotted link 302. Y

The pin deck after. the rolling of the first ball'in a frame is moved through a detecting stroke wherein the deck Will stop on the .tops of standing pins or slightly lower if there are no standing pins so that the deckin this position indicates the absence of standing'A pins. This position is obtained when the hook member 304 is in engagement with the pin 113, and, because of "the shorter throw of the hook member, the movement of the deck terminates at the strike detecting position while the slotted link may over-travel the pin 113. The deck may stop in positions above the strike level becausev of the yieldable connection between the hook member y304, slotted link 114, and the pin 113 when the deck lands on a pin that is out of range of the pin-pickup mechanism or |when the deck lands on standing pins which are to be picked up, the latter two levels being at vslightly different elevations.

The hook member 304 is connected by a link 30 (Figs. 7 and 7A) having `a slot l306 to a bell crank having an arm 307 with a pin 308 slidable in the slot 306 and xed to va shaft 309 rotatably mounted on the gear box housing. Another arm 310 of the bell crank carries a cam follower roller 311 which follows a cam 312 fixed to the shaft 173 which is driven two revolutions ina normal machine cycle.

A spring 313 extends between a pin 314 on the gear box housing and an extension 315 integral with the bell crank arms 307 and 310 so as to cause the cam follower roller 311 to follow the cam 312. A tension .spring 316 extends between a pin 317 on the hook mem- Iber 304 and a pin 318 on the bell crank arm 307 and Iacts'to maintain -pin 308 in the bottom of `slot 306'in As shown in Fig. 7, the follower roller 311 is on the high of cam 312 and when the machine commences operation lthe cam rotates in a counterclockwise direction to carry the follower roller onto the low of the cam and ythe hook member moves into engagement with the pin 113 under the urging of the spring 313 and the hook imember stays in engagement until 18() degrees of machine cycle when the deck is again in its elevated position and the follower roller goes onto the high of cam 312 so as 4to release the hook member 304 from the pin 113. As the cam 312 starts its second revolution in a lcycle, the hoek member 304 will go back into engagement with the pin 113. It will be noted that with this operation the hook member 304 controls the descent of the deck when the deck rst descends after a rolling of a first ball in a frame and also controls the descent of a deck if the deck is to reset standing pins in its second descent in the cycle.

If the deck is to descend to a setting position, mech- .anism is provided to prevent engagement of the hook `member 304 with the pin 113 and comprises an arm 319 fixed to shaft 309 which by a bar 320 is connected to a blocking member 321 pivoted on a pin 322 extending outwardly from a mounting plate 323 fastened to the gear box housing 164. The blocking member 321 has Van arm 324 which normally oscillates back and forth about pin 322 in response to following movement f rroller 311 on cam 312, but, when a catch 325 moves up -into alignment with the arm 324, movement of this arm is blocked which also blocks the movement of the bell crank arm 310 so that the follower roller 311 cannot move in on the low of cam 312. Thus, the hook member 304 is maintained out of engagement with the pin 113.

The lengths of the slotted link 114 and hook member 304 are so designed that at the top of the crank stroke the weight of the pn deck I will always be held by the slotted link with clearance enough for hook member 304 `to swing in and out of engagement with pin 113.

As described previously, the pin deck I has pin-pickup mechanism and pin setting mechanism including an upper setting deck 62, both of which are operated in response tothe movement of cables S7 and 76, respectively. The cable 76 has its upper end fixed to the pulley 79 which rotates with a second pulley 329 (Fig. on the shaft 79a and which has a cable 330 fastened at one end thereto, and the other end of the cable is secured to a bracket 331 fixed te the frame support shaft 99. A pulley 332 is `disposed within the loop of the cable 330 and is rotatably mounted on an arm 333 which is pivotal- `ly mounted on the pin 314 and which has integral there- With a follower arm 334 having a follower roller 335 which engages a cam 336 fixed to the shaft 176 and which has a blocking end 337. The cam 336 mounted von the shaft 176 is rotated one revolution in each machine cycle in a clockwise direction and has a slope beginning at 336a which permits the follower to move in on the cam under urging of the spring S0. In actual operation the cam 336 has the rst slope 336a which causes the upper setting deck 62 of the pin deck I to move rearwardly a portion of its total movement so as to drop the pins in the deck to an intermediate position and an additional slope 336b permits further inward movement of the follower roller 335 so that the upper setting deck 62 moves rearwardly an additional distance to cause `setting of pins.

The cam 336 also determines the operation of the pinpickup mechanism on the pin deck I. A follower arm 340 is rotatably mounted on a stub shaft 341 mounted -on a plate 342 secured on the gear box housing 164 by connecting brackets 343 (Fig. 3) and has a follower roller 344 which engages the cam 336 at a position approximate- 'ly 90 degrees behind the setting deck follower roller 335. An arm 340g integral with arm 340 connects with a downwardly extending link 345 by means of a pin 346,

andthe link 345 has a slot 347 at its lower end which slidably receives a pin 348 on an arm 349 which is integral with with the sleeve 89 in front of pulley 329 to which the cable 87 is attached. A tension spring 350 extends between the pins 346 and 348 so as to draw the pin 348 up in the slot 347 if the closing movement of the scissors-type, pin-pickup mechanism should be blocked so that any slack in the cable 87 will be prevented.

Prior to starting of the machine, `the cam 336 and follower rollers 335 and 344 are positioned, as shown in Fig. 5, and the high portion of cam 336 maintains the follower rollers in approximately the same position for the first 90 degrees of machine cycle at which time the pin deck I is at the bottom of its detecting stroke so that if there are no pins present on the alley bed which would be the strike condition a flag member 351 rotatable about a shaft 352 may be positioned to permit operation of the follower for controlling movement of the upper setting deck 62 or the follower for the pin-pickup mechanism, but not both. In normal operation when the machine operates through 90 degrees of its cycle, the tiag member 351 is positioned with a blocking surface 353 in alignment with the blocking end 337 of the follower 334 to prevent the cam follower roller 335 following the cam 336, while a second blocking end 354 of the flag member is clear of a blocking end 355 on the follower arm 340 so that the cam follower for causing operation of the pin-pickup mechanism may follow the cam 336. If a strike has occurred, a link 356 connected to the ag member 351 by a pin 357 is moved forwardly of the machine so as to move lthe blocking surface 353 to a nonblocking position and move the blocking surface 354 to a blocking position which prevents operation of the pinpickup mechanism and permits operation of the upper setting deck 62 so as to set pins at the correct time in the machine cycle.

It should be noted that the cam 336 is connected to the shaft 176 which rotates one revolution in a cycle so that the cam is shaped to correctly control the time at which the pickup mechanism engage pins and release pins.

It is not necessary that the follower 344 utilize the additional slope 336b on the cam so that a stop 358 on the frame is positioned to engage the blocking end 355 on the follower arm 340 when the lowest part of the cam slope or dwell is opposite ythe follower roller 344.

The `raising and lowering of the rake board 117 with respect to the alley bed is caused by cam and cam follower mechanism which connect to the link 12S, previously referred to. The link 128 at its rear end is connected by a pin 358e to a cam follower arm 359 which is pivoted on a pin 360 supported by spaced ears one of them being shown at 361 extending rearwardly from frame support rod `100. Follower arm 359 has a cam follower roller 362 (Fig. 3) positioned for engagement with a cam 363 which is mounted on a shaft 176. The follower roller 362 is urged to follow the com by the weight of the rake board 117 and also by a pair of springs 364 (Fig. l) connected between the bell crank 126 and a bracket 365 connected to the rake support arms 115.

A second cam follower arm 366 is pivotally mounted on the Vcam follower arm 359 by a pin 367 and has a cam follower roller 368 which follows a cam 369 fixed to the shaft 176. The cam follower 366 is urged to follow its cam by a spring 370 which connects to a pin 371 on a part of the follower arm 366 and a pin 372 on a latch lever 373 fixed to a rotatable shaft 374 carried on the follower arm 359.

The latch lever 373 is urged into latching position with ajlatch block 375 `carried on the follower arm 366 by the spring 370 and the position of the latch lever 373 is determined by a follower arm 376 (Fig. 5) xed to the shaft 374 and having a follower roller 377 engageabie with a cam lever 378.

The cams 363 and 369 have generally the same contours, except that the cam 369 has its low beginning approximately 90 degrees of the machine cycle subsequent to the low on cam 363. After the rolling of a first ball in a frame, the latch lever 373 will be out of engagement with the latch block 375 so that the cam follower arm 359 is in control of the rake board 117 and when the machine commences `operating the follower 362 will [follow the cam 363 and start down below on the cam low to cause the rake board to move to guard position adjacent the alley bed and the low will continue until immediately prior to the end of the machine cycle when the follower roller Will kride up on the high of Ithe cam to raise the rake board. The foregoing is the normal operation after the rolling of a first ball in a frame.

If a strikepis -not made on a iirst ball of a frame so that the next machine cycle is after the rolling of a second ball in the same frame, the cam lever 378 will be lowered with resultant counterclockwise rotation of the follower arm 37 6 andthe latch lever 373 which latches into engagement with the latch block 375. This operation occurs at approximately 270 degrees of machine cycle when the machine is cycling after a first ball, as will be more fully described hereinafter. With the latch lever 373 engaged, the cam follower roller 368 in engagement with the cam 369 becomes controlling and will follow on the high of the latter cam beyond the 360 degree position of the machine and through an additional 90 degrees of machine cycle as a part of the over-cycle previously referred to. The cam lever 378 will be raised during the cycling of the machine after the second ball has started the machine so that the rake follower mechanism will be set up with the cam follower 362 on the follower arm 359 again controlling.

As described previously, the vertical posts 108 extend upwardly from opposite sides of the deck and are connected to the upper drive arms 105 by pins 107. The pin 107 on the near side of the machine, looking at Fig. l, is extended inwardly from its connection to the drive arm 105 a suflicient distance to permit selective engagement thereof by a deck holding hook 400 (Fig. which extends rearwardly toward and has a sleeve portion rotatably mounted on a shaft 401 which is pivotally mounted in a pair of ears 402 extending upwardly at an angle from the spring support shaft 100. An arm 403 fixed to the hook has a pin 404 slidably mounted in a slot 405 in the forward end of a link 406. The rearward end of link 406 has a slot 407 which receives a pin 408 carried on an arm 409. 'I'he link 406 is tubular and has a spring 410 therein which extends between the pin 404 and a pin 411 secured on the internal wall of the link. The spring 410 functions to yieldably hold fthe pin 404 in the forward end of the slot 405 and against an end abutment 412 in the link 406 but permits movement of the pin 404 rearwardly in the slot without movement of the link 406 if the link should be held against movement by the pin 408.

Anarm 413 also fixed to the hook 400 has a link construction connected thereto similar to that connected to arm 403 wherein a pin 414 on the arm 413 is slidably mounted in a slot 415 in a link 416 and the opposite end of the link has a slot 417 which receives a pin 418 carried on an arm 419. A spring 420 extends between the pin 414 andY a pin 421 and holds the pin 414 in yieldable engagement with an abutment 422 in the forward end of the link 416. With the parts as shown inV Fig. 5, the deck hold hook 400 is held out of engagement with the pin 107. In normal operation only one or the other of the links will be shifted and the movement of the arm 403 or 413 associated with the other link will result in compression of the associated spring within the tubular link.

The mounting plates 323 and 342 (Fig. 3) have been previously referred to and reference should be made to a mounting plate 422 which is spaced from the plate 323 and which acts therewith to support the control center L therebetween.

. VThe tubularsleeve 106 to which Vthe upper drive arms for the pin deck I are attached has an arm 425 (Fig. 7) fixed thereto which pivotally supports a collar 426 by a pin 427 and the collar is iixed to a connecting link or rod structure, indicated generally at 428, and, more particularly, to a tubular element 428a, which extends upwardly toward the control center L. The tubular element 428 is open ended and has discs 429 and 430 enclosing the ends thereof and slidably receiving a rod 431 which extends upwardly and is pinned to a detector disc 432 (Fig. 7A) rotatably mounted on the hub of a cam 444 by a pin 433. The control rod 431 has laterally project- -ing pins 434, 435, 436 and 437 and the pins 434 and 435 may slide through and beyond the discs 429 and 430, respectively. A pair of plugs 438 and 439 are disposed within the tubular element 428 and slidably receive the rod 431 and a spring 440 surrounds the rod and extends between the plugs and tends to urge the plugs 438 and 439 into seated engagement with the discs 429 and 430.

A pair of fixed surfaces 441 and 442 secured on the gear box housing 164 slidably receive the rod above the tubular element 428, and the surface 441 acts to engage the pin 436 and limit upward movement ofthe rod 431 while the surface 442 acts to' engage the pin 437 and limit the downward movement of the rod.

In normal operation with the pin deck II in its uppermost position, the tubular element and rod will be as Ashown in Figs. 6 and 7 with Athe pin 436 in engagement with the stop surface 441 and the spring 440 compressed because plug 439 has been lowered with respect to the tubular element by the pin 435. The pin 435 may travel freely to either side of fthe disc 430 by suitable enlargement of the central opening in the disc.

When the deck descends to a position beneath the strike detecting position, the pin 437 on the rod 431 engages the stop surface 442 to stop the movement of the rod while the tubular element 428 continues to move and causes the pin 434 to pass through the disc 429 into engagement with the plug 438 and compress the spring 440. It will thus be seen that the foregoing mechanism provides an over-travel mechanism but which permits unitary movement of the tubular element 428 and the rod 431 between the limits defined by the pins 436 and 437.

The control center L is constituted by latch and lever mechanisms disposed around the shaft 181 which extends outwardly from the gear box housing 164 or toward the bottom of Fig. 3 and various cams keyed to said shaft as well as the detector disc 432 referred to above.

The detector disc 432, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, is rotatably mounted on the hub of a detector cam 444 which is keyed to the shaft '181 and a re-set cam 449 is keyed to the shaft 181 adjacent the opposite side of cam 444.

The detector disc 432 has two series of notches on its periphery. `One set of notches is at the face of the disc which is adjacent to the cams 444 and 449 while the notches at the other face are adjacent to cams to be described hereinafter. The iirst-referred-to series or set of notches include notches 450, 451 and 452 (Fig. 7A). The notches 450 and 451 have a masking section 453 therebetween formed by the connecting periphery of the detector disc and the notches and masking section operate in conjunction with a new set 'latch lever 454 which is pivotally mounted on 'a shaft 455 extending between the plates 323 and 422 fastened to the gear box housing 164. A new set latch 458 is associated with the new set latch lever 454 and is also rotatably mounted on the shaft 455. Extensions 459 and 460 of the latch lever 454 and the latch `458, respectively, extend to opposite sides of the shaft 118 `and are held in normally abutting relation at 461 by Aa spring 462. A tension spring 463 extends between a pin 464 on the extension 459 and a pin 465 ixed to the support p-late 323 to urge the latch lever toward the shaft 1181. The latch lever has a cam follower nose 466 at its end which is positioned for selective engagement ywith lthe associated cam 444 Vhaving al dwell 

